ach year, the Old North Church Festival Chorus presents two glorious, Christmas Concerts during the Christmas Walk as a gift to the Marblehead community. Historic Marblehead and Old North Church offer the perfect backdrop at holiday time for the popular Festival Chorus Christmas concerts—appropriate for the entire family to enjoy! 

The 29th annual Old North Festival Chorus Christmas Concerts—presented each year as part of Marblehead’s Christmas Walk—will take place on Saturday, December 5 at 8 PM, and Sunday, December 6 at 7:30 PM in the sanctuary of the historic Old North Church Meeting House, 35 Washington Street, Marblehead.  Festival Chorus highlights this year include:  Magnificat in D by Jan Dismas Zelenka; Puer Natus in Bethlehem by Michael Praetorius; The Midwife’s Tale by James Woodman; and Navidad Nuestra by Ariel Ramirez.  As always, musical delights presented by the Youth Choirs and Bell Choirs of Old North will top off the holiday celebration.  Featured soloists include; soprano Holly Cameron; mezzo-soprano Megan Roth; tenor Kevin O’Sullivan Hayden; and baritone Marc DeMille.

The Old North Festival Orchestra, Soloists, and one hundred-voice (100) Festival Chorus will be led by Maria van Kalken, Minister of Music at Old North Church.  Maria celebrates her 21^st year as Director of the Festival Chorus and Orchestra this season.  In addition to a selection of carols of the season, some with audience participation, the public will be treated to a special appearance by The Parrish Singers and other young singers from the community, directed by Rebecca Kenneally, as well as an appearance by the Old North Bell Choir, directed by Sandra Barrett.

Picturesque Marblehead offers the perfect backdrop at holiday time for the popular Festival Chorus concerts.  The entire town is transformed into an enchanted village, with shop owners offering hot cider and cheer, plenty of holiday music to delight shoppers, and, the not-to-be-missed Festival Chorus concerts.

 The Festival Chorus gathers Old North’s Senior Choir together with enthusiastic singers—amateur to professional—from many neighboring communities and churches in Marblehead.  Each season, the Festival Chorus welcomes new voices while maintaining a devoted ensemble from previous years; this season’s Chorus totals over one hundred.  Encouraged by a love for music and a reputation as one of the North Shore’s most spirited and talented volunteer choirs, the Festival Chorus & Orchestra has been lauded for its outstanding performances of major choral works each year.

Director Maria van Kalken holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from the Oberlin and New England Conservatories of Music—primarily under the tutelage of Yuko Hayashi and Donald Teeters—and has amassed an education abroad in Amsterdam (Holland) and Pistoia (Italy).

Tickets for Festival Chorus performances are priced at $25; tickets may be purchased in advance at the following Marblehead business locations: Arnould Gallery & Framery, D. S. Designs and Crosby’s Marketplace.  To reserve tickets in advance by telephone, or for additional information, please call (781) 631-4832 or the Old North Church office (781) 631-1244.  Old North Church is accessible for the physically impaired.

Become a Friend, Patron or Benefactor

The cost of promoting and presenting these exceptional concerts far exceeds the income from ticket sales alone, so, we would like to invite you, as well as your friends and families, to join us in becoming a Festival Chorus Friend, Patron or Benefactor.  Without your gifts of financial support, and your attendance at our concerts, it would be a tremendous challenge to maintain the caliber and uniqueness of these cherished annual events; please know how grateful we are for your consideration at any level.  Your gifts are tax-deductible and all contributors will be listed in our Festival Chorus 2009 Concert Programs.  Email us here for a form and return to: Festival Chorus, OLD NORTH CHURCH, 8 Stacey Street, Marblehead  MA  01945. Thank you.

We are pleased to offer you a first opportunity to reserve space in the Twenty-Eighth Annual Old North Festival Chorus Concerts Program Book. This season, Festival Chorus Programs will serve as an important guide for nearly 1,000 distinctive holiday enthusiasts and potential customers, as well as an informative resource thereafter; this is a holiday advertising opportunity you simply can't afford to overlook! Click here to download an Advertisers Packet.

Festival Chorus Christmas Concerts are supported in part by a grant from the Marblehead Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.